New Chief Justice Pledges To Work With Legislature

June 30, 2000|By MARK HOLLIS Tallahassee Bureau

TALLAHASSEE — With promises to deliver reform to the judiciary while improving relations between the branches of state government, Charles T. Wells became Florida's 49th chief justice of the state Supreme Court on Thursday.

Wells, 62, takes the gavel for a two-year term. He has pledged to make the judicial system move more quickly, more affordably, with more fairness to minorities and with better public understanding of the court's role.

"We have much, much to do, and I plan to be proactive in doing it," Wells said.

To Wells' colleagues, family and friends -- and to a cadre of state officials who joined a packed ceremony at the Supreme Court -- the hefty agenda is typical for the former Orlando lawyer. Having spent 28 years in private practice, they said, Wells enjoys a reputation as a conservative, diligent and reform-minded jurist.

"A lawyer's lawyer and a judge's judge" is how he was described by Justice Charles B. Harding, who ended his two-year tenure as chief justice on Thursday. Gov. Jeb Bush described him as "always easygoing."

Wells also brings a more casual demeanor to the top court post. Stories were told Thursday of his fondness for gray socks and cheap white sneakers, orange-and-blue judge's robes and a devotion to the University of Florida and its Gator sports teams.

Still, serious challenges lie ahead.

Wells said the next two years will be watershed years for the court. One of the biggest projects ahead, he said, is preparing for a constitutional change that will require state government to pay the billions of dollars of court services that county governments now finance. Voters approved the change two years ago, and it becomes fully effective in 2004.

"We must ensure that this change enhances, not regresses, the judicial service in every circuit of Florida," Wells said.

By tradition, justices rotate the position of chief justice on the basis of seniority. The position doesn't offer any greater influence in the decisions of the court or authority during the court's closed-door discussion of cases. It is a largely ceremonial title but carries the responsibility of executing the court's administrative duties.

During Harding's tenure, the court upheld term limits for legislators and Cabinet members, voided Bush's veto of a budget item, and set legal precedents with its decisions on death penalty issues.

Among its recent rulings, the court upheld the constitutionality of the electric chair. It also upheld a lethal injection option but struck down a law intended to speed up executions, arguing that the Legislature was trying to usurp justice's authority.

In the wake of those decisions, legislators criticized the court. They also filed bills -- which eventually failed -- that would have trimmed the court's power.

As chief justice, Wells will be the courts' key contact with the Legislature and governor's office. He predicted smooth relations with the other branches of government.

Mark Hollis can be reached at mhollis@sun-sentinel.com or 850-224-6214.